How much of a nutrient is too much?
Antonia Patino, Emily Galaviz, Valerie Pina
Types of nutrients
- Folic Acid- reduce risk of heart disease.
- Vitamin D- lower risk of falls, some cancers, diabetes, heart disease.
- Calcium- reduce risk of fractures.
- Magnesium- regulate blood sugar levels, blood pressure and may help reduce heart disease.
- Zinc- enhance immune function and is needed for wound healing.
Weight Gain
When you consume more calories then what you need, your body will start to increase its body fat. Carbohydrates, Proteins and fat all contribute to calories to your diet. Excess carbohydrates can convert to fatty acids for storage in your adipose tissue. Proteins and fats supply amino acids and fatty acids to your body, too much of it can also convert to fat tissue.
Metabolism
When there is too many nutrients in your body, it can affect you metabolism. Consuming greater levels of protein than your body needs can affect insulin sensitivity and potentially increase the risk of developing diabetes.
Toxicity
Some nutrients can go up to toxic levels and can cause birth defects, increase blood level of calcium, kidney stones and can impact you cardiovascular system, and also cause liver damage. Minerals can also accumulate to toxic levels and cause problems.
Hyponatremia
Hyponatremia- is a condition in which your tissues are flooded with too much water that it dilutes the sodium surrounding your cells.
Hyponatremia can cause headaches, muscle cramps, and fainting. The condition can escalate quickly and if it does it can lead to seizures, brain damage and even death.
Water is a nutrient that is sometimes overlooked. Water is essential for your body to function properly. When having very little amount of water in your body, it can cause dehydration and even life-threatening effects, but when having too much water in your body it can be equally as damaging as not having enough water.